Economy

Andrea Mérida Cuéllar June 29, 2018 Since the Trump administration has been caught red-handed violating the human rights of people fleeing economic and political upheaval in Central America via child separations at the border, I have noticed a few well-meaning folks trying to combat the naked white supremacy demonstrated by those who are ok with Trump’s actions. I would caution allies to do some self-examination, as well as some review of American history, before wading into those waters. This is a time when we can chop away at both white supremacy AND American imperialism at the same time, if we…

St. Helena Star By Alex Shantz January 24, 2018 I’m a millennial, age 29, former St. Helena school board member, and fourth generation Deer Park resident. Last December, concerned residents circulated recall petitions against St. Helena’s mayor, Alan Galbraith. During the recall campaign, I heard recall opponents repeat the same false narrative. They said, St. Helena’s economic situation is dire and therefore, because it generates municipal revenue, hyper-development is justified. This ruse is an economic Shock Doctrine tactic that global capitalists and neo-liberal politicians have used for decades to justify corporate privatization and austerity measures in nations throughout the Global…

syracuse.com By Howie Hawkins January 18, 2018 Your Jan. 14 editorial (“CNY economy needs workforce training“) cites a CenterState CEO survey of business leaders who said rising employee benefit costs were “the No. 1 pressure point for their businesses in 2017.” But your response seems to be call for state tax and spending cuts. That seems implied by your comment that the “state’s tax climate also matters” and adding that the state faces a $4 billion deficit, plus additional lost revenue from federal changes to health care and tax policy, which is estimated to be over $2 billion. I would…

The North Star by Mark Lause, State Committee, Green Party of Ohio March 22, 2015 If I had a dollar for every time I heard somebody say that they wouldn’t support the Greens because they were “a bourgeois party,” I’d probably be able to buy my very own state legislator . . . or, at least, a cheap city councilman. While this assertion seems usually intended to kill the subject, I think a more refined understanding about the class nature of political parties among American Marxists is worth the risk of a discussion. Not that this is easy in 21st…

The Southern by Rich Whitney April 3, 2015 There is a certain “conventional wisdom” gripping Illinois, shared by our Governor, most legislators, and the vast majority of news media voices, including certain columnists at this paper. According to this narrative, our budget and pension systems are unsustainable due to years of state “overspending” or “living beyond our means.” Now, due to our horribly underfunded public pension systems, our state government has “no choice” but to cut or eliminate pensions and benefits for retirees, dramatically cut state spending, or do some combination of both. Neither the premise nor the conclusion are…